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Saige Cristallo
Storm "Saige" Cristallo is a student attending Siren Academy, the leader of Team STRM, and one of the protagonists of The Coming Storm. Appearance Saige is an individual a little taller than the average female. Her physique was developed overtime to withstand extreme speed navigation and combat, as well as close-range melee battles, hence why her attire is very minimal. Her muscles are relatively slender, but sturdy enough to endure direct hits from blunt objects. Her chocolate brown hair is long and fades out at the ends into cyan streaks, reaching down to her lower waist where it ends in a blunt cut; it's usually pin straight, and if not she will iron the heck out of it. The only thing terribly strange most people would notice about her is the bird cage tattoo on her right shoulder with its door open. The part of her that stands out most is the mystery of her right eye. Saige refuses to let anyone outside her family see it unless they earn her approval. Her right eye is the same color as her left, but was permanently damaged after early adolescent events, therefore the pupil is discolored. It is not blinded, but prevents her from having 20/20 vision ever again. She wears blue eye makeup to conceal several little scars around it. Volume 4 Onwards: Saige's attire drastically changes after the end of Volume 3, when the city of Xervia enters a civil war with terrorist group Cold Void. She trades her tunic for a periwinkle top and blue shorts, accented with a short-sleeved black jacket with her emblem on the left sleeve, and a gunner apron hanging off her left hip. In place of her scale patterned stocking is a pair of thigh-high leather boots that attach to her shorts with diamond clasps. She wears a new black metal armlet over her left forearm that forms a simple coil pattern, and on her right arm is a scale pattern sleeve similar to her previous one, though its colors are now inverted. Saige wears a silver necklace with a sapphire cabochon at the end. At this point in time, her blunt cut has grown out to a more natural shape, and the cyan streaks have been entirely cut from her front locks of hair. Volume 1/2: Saige's main attire is mostly black and blue. She dons a blue, silver-accented, high-collar tunic which separates down into two layers of assymetrical coat tails. It comes apart by unclasping the small metal hooks underneath the central silver lining, and can be worn much like a zipped up vest or jacket. At the base of the neck there is a rounded, rhombus-shaped hole which is tied together by two crossing strings. She wears a pair of high-waist black shorts that starts at her abdomen and ends at her upper thighs. To match this attire is a simple pair of slip-on blue shoes with tight black X-straps at the fronts of the ankles and the lower calves. Under one of these shoes is a stocking etched with many different scale-like designs in sky blue; she has a matching sleeve on her right arm with the same finishings. To finish off the look, there is a large armlet on her left arm made of a dark blue flexible alloy metal, molded into swirls to give it an overall elegant appearance. Personality Saige is not one to have much interaction with other people, unless it's of the upmost importance or they're the one to initiate conversation. She can be described as a very diligent person, as in if a homework assignment is handed to her, or an Ursa comes walking through the forest in her direction, she'll get the job done at the first opportunity she has. This quality is what makes her a notable member of her team. She's usually pretty friendly with others though tends to have trust issues at the beginning of a relationship, be it friendly or romantic, due to skepticism as to how they treat others. If they treat others with respect, they're good—though bullies and the discriminatory aren't so fortunate. Saige isn't very open with her feelings. While some prefer to play football outside, she'll be curled up under a tree with a good book or some music, relaxing and enjoying the scenery. With her friends, notably the rest of her team as well as Team CRSE, she's kind and willing to help when one is in need, and on the side likes to poke a little fun. With her workaholic lifestyle, she doesn't find much time to consider her own feelings or put herself before others, though when she does, it makes her feel selfish. Likewise, she hates it when people see her crying or in a bad mood and will tend to exit an area to a place of solitary comfort until she feels ready enough to rejoin their company. Fear as well is something most don't see, as she's one to keep it inwards rather than projecting it out in a noticeable expression. Anger is a completely different story; when provoked or infuriated, Saige has the tendency to project it or let it loose, therefore attracting any amount of unwanted attention to herself and those directly involved—mainly because such angry actions will include anything from punching someone to bashing a wall in. Other than that, she's a nice person in general and is summed up as an ISTP, or introvert-sensing-thinking-perception type dynamic. Background Saige was originally born as Storm Cristallo in a hospital on the coast of Vale. Originally her mother and father planned to give birth to twins, but upon delivery it was discovered Saige's twin had been strangled by her umbilical cord, resulting in suffocation and a stillbirth. The cost of the hospital bill and to respectfully dispose of Faith's infant body were staggering, something the Cristallos could hardly afford. For the next several years or so the small family lived in poverty. Their home was a measly apartment in Vale and one they could barely afford to keep up with. Their electricity bill was unpaid, as well as their heater, and both were shut off because of their lack of funds. Her parents each worked two jobs to keep their heads above water. Eventually, Storm's father found a solution to make stable income. He came across a wanted ad in the job section of the newspaper. "Wanted: Local Vale residents that can lift light or heavy cargo. Contact the Schnee Dust Company employment office for details." The family was overjoyed to hear of their new shortcut to a better life, before Iago took off to the shipping ports and headed off by boat to cities and regions alike all over Vytal. Everything was looking brighter for them. Only two months after Iago started shipping big crates of Dust from one end of the globe to the other, their ship was infiltrated by several members of the White Fang, who ambushed and battered the majority of the crew onboard. In the struggle, Iago lost his right arm. With her father too weak to work anymore, thus his employment eligibility disappearing in a blip, the Cristallos were right back where they started. A representative from the Bank of Vale came to the Cristallo family's doorstep and informed them that they either had to pay a portion of their debts or eventually face expulsion from their own home. Hearing this and knowing just how well that chance was, Storm became filled with grief and decided to do something she hadn't considered before—praying. She visited the nearby sanctuary hoping someone would give her an answer to her family's ongoing troubles. Fate seemed to twist itself around, when a visiting "missionary," calling herself Mother Chrysanthemum, approached her and offered her help. Mother Chrysanthemum would help pay off the Cristallos' financial troubles, if Storm went to live with her in another region where she could exercise her potential. Storm told her parents who were filled with jubilation at the news. They helped her pack and exchanged teary-eyed goodbyes before she departed a day later to Xervia, where she later made the decision to legally changed her name to Saige. When Saige first arrived, she was suspicious about the place she was going to take up residence; Mother Chrysanthemum neglected to tell her that she was going to be living with several other individuals—previous abandoned or abused Faunus—a cat Faunus named Sinya and a dog Faunus named Rhiver. They were skeptical of her arrival, seeing how others of her subspecies had tormented them previously. After a few days of living with her, they found Saige to be less biased and more compassionate than they expected. Saige in time considered her new hosts to be her foster family. There were days when Saige, Sinya, and Rhiver would go out into Xervia to do some shopping, and naturally there were strangers who would ridicule them for being Faunus or a Faunus-lover. There was one time when this was taken too far, and a few less than savory individuals started throwing rocks at Sinya and Rhiver. Saige was furious, and in her emotion-driven rage she attacked one said rock-thrower with an Aura-fueled punch, unintentionally landing him a spot in the hospital. It was the moment she first used her Semblance, one she found unable to tame at the young age in her life. Her newfound ability was dangerous, and Mother Chrysanthemum consulted her on finding a way to control it. As such she became a more composed person through the practices of meditating and the fine arts. When Ms. Daaelia informed Sinya and Rhiver of Saige's potential, they were all eager to help her achieve what she never thought could happen—going to Siren Academy. Sadly her first opening to apply wasn't for a few more years down the road. Saige was considered talented by her foster family, and needed to exhibit what she could do in a way that would benefit the common people rather than hurting them. From that day on, Mother Chrysanthemum helped her to train, teaching her the ways of combat both empty-handed and armed, informing her of Dust and its abilities, what Aura was, and the Semblance each person possessed. Much to her relief, Saige found that her own semblance was under lockdown, and therefore felt a weight was lifted off her shoulders. For once she didn't feel the fear of hurting someone by utilizing something she couldn't control. After seven years, Saige was finally old enough to attend a higher-level school, but she had no idea what her plan would be after she graduated. In her words, "I don't know if I want to protect people, help the lesser, or fight others who threaten them." The biggest problem laid before her was the disadvantage of not owning a weapon. However, Mother Chrysanthemum was able to pull some strings a year or two before with a blacksmith in Xervia, and had a weapon made just for the occasion. She named it both after one of her Faunus siblings and a phrase she remembered hearing in her first days in Xervia: "yarost'," which meant fury. Ms. Daaelia helped her fill out an application and prepare for the physical exam. During said exam, she received a score of 8.5 out of 10, something she thought impossible to attain, and ventured to Siren to start a new path towards the future. Weapon ' ' Weapon Name: 'Sinyayarost' (Russian for ''blue fury) version 1.0 'Type: '''Melee + Short-Range '''Modeled After: '''A 1928A1 submachine gun. And a panabas sword, which is a twice-curved blade. '''Capabilities: '''Sinyayarost' is firstly capable of the obvious—transforming. There is a long sliding mechanism on the grip of the gun that enables it to slide back into a more maneuverable position; the same goes for the blade, when determining whether to go with gun form or gun blade form. Depsite its extreme readjustment capabilities, the mechanisms Sinyayarost' was built with still allow for ammunition to be loaded and fired in Shortwave and Katana modes. This is due to a sort of flexible "trigger tendon," which runs throughout the entirety of the weapon itself. Think of it like a piece of thread—no matter which way it bends, it's still a thread. The ''Gunner Mode is as close as Sinyayarost' could get to being an actual gun. It holds all the capabilities of an actual gun, though showcases the problem of being mistaken for a power drill at some times. This is fine, though; some people have to learn the hard way. Shortwave and Katana Modes are different. To achieve the shapes, Sinyayarost's gun-barrel has to rotate 270º clockwise (as seen in the picture) from its right angle position atop the hilt, before sliding down and locking itself on the bottom. The bottom of the hilt has a square-shaped hole, where it's supposed to fit and align. The blade is supposed to shift the same way, but only a third as far as the barrel does. This said, that Dust cartridge there is supposed to first slide up the side of the hilt, and then shift a quarter-circle around it to achieve its position in Shortwave Mode. This ensures that the ammo can still be shifted into the gun barrel and fired out the other end. The entire set-up is so that Saige can still fire long shots while being able to mercilessly swing around the blade at close-range targets. With Katana Mode, the form is activated when Saige shifts the ammunition cartridge 90º clockwise and onto the bottom of the hilt, next to the locking mechanism. The blade itself is riddled with internal mechanics that allow an inner blade to swing out a full 180º and significantly increase its length. The joints then adjust themselves so that the whole thing can straighten out into a long katana sword—therefore granting the namesake Katana Mode. Sinyayarost' can't fire most kinds of ammo, either in metal form or in Dust form, so Saige prefers to use hollow bullets that can be filled with explosive material. The long ammunition chamber on top of the weapon is for the bullets, and the one on the bottom is a back-up cartridge in the event that she needs to reload quickly. The ammo chamber is capable of ejecting and utilizing the respective ammunition, even when Sinyayarost' molds its shape. The fact that the ammo looks like it's all blue doesn't mean it's actually blue; it's more of a solid protective screen for what's inside waiting to be fired, composed of a shiny blue alloy just for show. Sinyayarost' 2.0 Sinyayarost' 2.0 was created following the events of The Coming Storm Volume 1, when the original model was broken beyond repair. The newer model is more compact, easier to carry, and overall less bulky. The primary difference between 2.0 and 1.0 is that 2.0 was modeled after a different type of gun—an assault rifle—and can fire bullets at a rate of 650 RPM (rounds per minute). The ammunition cartridge contains twelve large slots, each able to hold 50 5mmx49mm bullets. The function of the blades is similar to the makeup of 1.0's, except the ridges aren't as pronounced, or rather blend in smoother with the surface. More notably, rather than a second internal blade which swings out to extend the reach, the entire length is compacted into the Panabas version, which can stretch and angle itself in a similar fashion to Qrow Branwen's scythe. In comparison to Saige's height, Sinyayarost' 2.0 is .76 meters long, or 2.5 feet—without the blade extended. With the panabas blade out, the total length is 1.52 meters. With the hanger sword out, the total length is just under 2.2 meters. Abilities While Saige doesn't look the part of a warrior, she fits it awfully well, capable of participating in short-range, melee, and hand-to-hand combat depending on the situation—though she finds it increasingly difficult to suddenly switch from one format to another. When in doubt of physical attributes, her intelligence and quick wits make up for it, finding skills to aide her when things start looking grim. *She takes after a Russian fighting style called Systema in which "the body has to be free of tensions, filled with endurance, flexibility, effortless movement, and explosive potential." As such, her movements during combat will never be found jerky or unplanned—unless her rage gets the better of her, in which case all Hell breaks loose. Semblance The name of Saige's Semblance is Athena's Guard. It is only activated in the event of physical or emotional turmoil, invoking a sort of Aura rush throughout her body. Her muscles tense up, and she can do something as difficult as punching through a brick wall (as shown here; keep in mind that this is a maximum power punch). On a really good day, she could "dismantle" an Atlesian Paladin with a headbutt. Of course with school starting at Siren and all, good days don't happen often. With her Semblance, she can use the force of her attacks to swing Sinyayarost' much harder than normally, abling her to slice through a string of Atlesian Knights in one combo attack. *'''Side Effects: When activated, her forearms and calves appear covered in bright blue sheets of her Aura shaped almost like vambraces and greaves; in addition, her right eye lights up bright blue and leaves behind a trail of blue, liquid-esque light as she moves, sort of like an exhaust system. *'Weaknesses:' The biggest drawback to Athena's Guard is how much energy it takes out of her. Normally Saige is a very composed person, but when she takes too much damage or something flusters her too much, she starts to waver. She puts a lot of strength into her attacks when using Athena's Guard, and therefore drains a lot of her own stamina. There are times when a powerful punch or headbutt will get her to black out for a few seconds to full minutes, if not call the need for nearby assistance. Thanks to this, one of her teammates needs to carry some kind of energizer (such as an energy drink) with them at all times, usually packed with caffeine or sugar. Relationships Tara Rhys: The first person Saige ran into when she departed the ship to Siren Academy—let alone the first person she saw when she took part in the Siren Initiation Test, therefore binding them as teammates. Though their personalities do clash often, Saige finds comfort in having Tara as a friend, and is delighted to have someone who can challenge her abilities. Raine Shiba: A hopeful boy who has found a place in her life. Saige finds Raine to be quite a cheery fellow, and values his efforts to make the brighter world a better place. In his cluelessness, she finds some sort of annoyance, though does what she can to put him back on the right track, sometimes taking him under her tutelage. Macy Anumati: Someone who makes Saige worry. A lot. Saige has always found Macy to be a nice girl, though worries for her and everyone else's safety when she starts bouncing off the walls. The two share a yin yang relationship in terms of personalities—Saige is the calm and collected Yin, whereas Macy is the more energetic and happy-go-lucky Yang. Canaan Vogel: Someone whom she finds interest in. Saige doesn't know Canaan terribly well, but finds peace in that he wants to be a good, dedicated team leader. She enjoys their light-hearted competitions from time to time. Ringo Alexander: Someone who provokes Saige. A little too much. Saige wasn't too fond of Ringo in her first days at Siren, and found it quite taxing to put up with his pessimistic attitude. She finds him, despite gloomy, to be a wild-hearted boy with a taste for action and danger, and admires him for such unique qualities. Shark Zabka: 'A little too quiet for her liking. Saige isn't entirely satisfied with Shark's presence and his aloof nature, but knows he only does it beause of his wish to succeed. She feels some empathy for him, and is happy to back him up every once in a while...or vice versa, which is usually the case. '''Evelyn Scarborough: '''The only girl who could possibly get on Saige's good side the first time they meet. Emily might be viewed as a princess to Saige, but that doesn't mean she isn't sweet or understanding of her comrades, regardless if they're not on the same team. '''Arondight Corps: '''Her biggest worry, and therefore, the greatest threat to her way of life. Saige can't stand the ideals of the organization, and will do what she can to make sure they don't intrude on her and her friends' lives with their plots to wipe people off the face of Remnant. '''Akio: '''Now ''he is a pain. Saige can't stand Akio, being the manipulative leader he is. She detests him in a number of ways for his passive flirting with various women and smoothly evading authorities of all kinds...especially her authority. '''Chrysanthemum, Sinya, and Rhiver: '''These three have been something of a true family to her. When Saige arrived in Xervia, they were scared of her if not resentful. They discovered shortly after though that she was very affectionate towards them, and afterwards, they were able to warm up to her and treat her like an actual sibling. Saige is to this day very grateful for having them beside her the last several years, and loves them with all her heart. '''Regina and Iago Cristallo: Her parents, and compassionate people. Regina and Iago took care of Saige for the first ten years of her life. Despite their previous poverty, Saige has high amounts of affection for them and knows they all did their best. They still write letters to each other about the mishaps and adventures that take place in their respective spots in Remnant, though she wishes dearly to see them again one day. Concepts and Designs New Saige Art.png|Saige's Debut Appearance Saige Timeskip Concept.png|Saige's Volume 4 Concept Art Saige Updated Ref Sheet.png|Saige's Reference Sheet Saige New Outfit.png|Saige's Volume 2 Attire Saige Formal Wear.png|Saige's Formal Wear Saige New Design Watermark.png|Saige's Stealth Wear Saige Hairstyle.png|The Logistics of Saige's Hair Saige Character Sheet.png|(OLD) Saige Character Sheet Commissions and Fanart Saige by RogueSPiDER.png|Saige by theRogueSPiDER Saige by d-oppelganger.png|Saige by doppelganger Saige Charm.png|Saige Charm by ThanhnuFia Trivia * The name Saige means "wise" in Latin. Cristallo is derived from its Greek origin krustallos, which means crystal. Therefore, the name Saige Cristallo means "wise crystal". **Saige's first name not only means wise, but is an allusion to a perennial plant of similar name: blue sage, also known as salvia azurea, prairie sage, or azure sage. **Her previous name, Storm, can be associated with many different colors ranging from gray to blue and/or black. In this case, it represents the color storm blue. *Saige's allusions to real-world stories include two: The Little Mermaid, and the Greek goddess Athena. **In a similar fashion to The Little Mermaid, Saige made a deal with someone, and gave up her life of poverty in exchange for financial stability and thorough training. *To this day Saige has let no one see her right eye aside from Ms. Daaelia. When her hair doesn't suffice, she keeps it hidden with an eyepatch. *Her theme song is Human by Krewella. Category:Characters